NHL Hockey Xtra
For the Canadian service see, NHL Hockey Xtra NHL Hockey Xtra is an Out-of-Market Sports Package distributed by most cable & satellite providers in the United States. The package allows it's subscribers to see up to 40 out-of-market NHL games a week using local & national TV networks. NHL Hockey Xtra features premiere Canadian broadcasts, such as CASN. It also features out of region games broadcast on NBC. Broadcasts from CASN's feeds are also shown. PPV games (e.g. Edmonton Oilers) are included as well. For viewers subscribing via DISH Network or DirecTV, both teams' feeds are available for most games; digital cable subscribers may be limited to only 1 feed & also have a smaller selection of HD games. Some providers offer HD broadcasts when available. A number of providers put Hockey Xtra on the same channels as MLB Extra Baseball & hockey often gets the priority because the conflict occurs during April @ the end of the regular season & beginning of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. A free preview is usually shown during the 1st 3 weeks of the NHL season & after the All-Star Game or the Olympic break Games Not Televised on NHL Hockey Xtra *OTA Broadcasts (Only shown when it's the only broadcast available for that game) WWGN-TV / Chicago OTA games do show up on Hockey Xtra Canada & are not blacked out on WGN (same feed) in Canada *Oilers/Flames/Canucks PPV (Only shown when it's the only broadcast available for that game) *Philadelphia Flyers Broadcasts (SCPhiladelphia) (Only shown when it's the only broadcast available for that game) *Hockey Night in Canada Broadcasts (Nationally seen games are broadcast on NHL TV) (Other regional HNIC games are shown on Hockey Xtra) *CASN Wednesday Night Hockey (Some games are shown on NHL TV) *NHL on NHL TV (Produces & broadcasts several games per year) NHL TV is free with Hockey Xtra. You get it even if it's not in your base package *Locally produced games from 1 team's regional sports network simulcasted on NHL TV are not included either. Also, out-of-market viewers are blacked out from the other team's feed & can not watch the game on NHL TV Availability NHL Hockey Xtra is available with these cable & satellite providers: * DirecTV * DISH Network * iN Demand ** Cablevision ** Charter Communications ** Comcast ** COX Communications ** Suddenlink Communications ** Time Warner ** Bright House Networks ** RCN ** Midcontinent Communications ** Adams Cable ** Blue Ridge Communications ** Verizon FiOS TV Blackout restrictions NHL Hockey Xtra blackouts, as with other sports packages, are intended to protect the rights of the league's national, regional & local broadcast partners. In the United States, games broadcast by NBC or Versus are not included in the NHL Hockey Xtra package. Additionally, NBC has been granted an exclusive window by the league, during which no other games can be televised in the United States. During this window, other games may be televised locally only by Canadian teams. For instance, if the Edmonton Oilers are playing the Atlanta Thrashers @ the same time NBC is televising another game, the Oilers may choose to broadcast the game locally (on CASN West for example), but the Thrashers are not permitted to televise the game. Additionally, the game would be available on NHL Hockey Xtra in Canada, but not in the United States. The NBC blackout window typically lasts 2.5 hours from the start of it's Game of the Week broadcast. Games televised by Versus are designated as exclusive or non-exclusive for blackout purposes. Exclusive broadcasts generally occur on Monday & Tuesday nights during the regular season. During these games, Versus has an exclusive window similar to NBC, which usually lasts 2 or 2.5 hours from the start of the Versus telecast. No other games may be televised in the United States during this time. Canadian teams may choose to air these games & unlike the NBC exclusive window, the Canadian local telecasts are included in the U.S. NHL Hockey Xtra package. During non-exclusive Versus telecasts, other teams may televise their games, but the Versus game may not be locally televised. Local/regional broadcast restrictions depend on the Hockey Xtra subscriber's physical location. Every location in the United States & Canada falls in the territory of @ least 1 NHL team & some areas fall in multiple team territories. Additionally, each team may choose to televise it's games on a regional sports network (RSN), local broadcast/over-the-air (OTA) station, or can choose not to televise them. In cases where the local team broadcasts on an RSN (i.e. SC, NECSN, etc.), Hockey Xtra subscribers in the team's territory will be blacked out of the opposing team's broadcast & must watch the game on the local RSN. (Example: The Boston Bruins are playing the St. Louis Blues. The Bruins are televising on NECSN & the Blues are televising on SCMidwest. Viewers in Bruins territory will be blacked out of the SCMidwest feed & must watch the game on NECSN) In cases where the local team broadcasts on an OTA station (i.e. KSLM-TV / St. Louis, KDTS-TV / Dallas, KPHA-TV / Phoenix, etc.) Hockey Xtra subscribers who live within a 50 mile radius of the team's arena (regardless of whether the team is home or away) will be blacked out from the Hockey Xtra feed of the game. Viewers who live in the team's territory but outside the 50 mile radius will not be blacked out from the Hockey Xtra broadcast. (Example: The Dallas Stars are playing the Chicago Blackhawks. The Stars are televising on KDTS-TV, an OTA station, while the Blackhawks are televising on SCIllinois. A viewer who lives in Stars territory, but more than 50 miles from the Stars' arena, will not be blacked out of the SCIllinois feed. A viewer in Stars territory who lives within the 50 mile radius will be blacked out of the Blackhawks feed & must watch the game on KDTS-TV) If a team chooses not to televise a game locally, that team may choose to lift the Hockey Xtra blackout. Many teams announce @ the start of the regular season that all games not televised locally will not be blacked out on NHL Hockey Xtra, while others make decisions on a case-by-case basis near the date of the game. (Example: The Florida Panthers are hosting the Ottawa Senators. The Senators are televising on CASN East, but the Panthers are not televising the game locally. Viewers in Panthers territory will not be blacked out of the Senators feed, provided that the Panthers have approved a blackout lift for the game) External links